3075: 7 Ways To Slow Down In a Fast Paced World by Emma Scheib of Simple Slow Lovely on Stepping Back & Self Help

[00:00:00] It's a minimalist Monday edition of Optimal Living Daily Episode 3075 7 Ways To Slow Down In A Fast Paced World by Emma Scheib of SimpleSlowLovely.com and I'm your narrator Justin Malik reading you articles every single day of the year, usually covering minimalism on Mondays

[00:00:17] So with that let's get right to it as we optimize your life 7 Ways To Slow Down In A Fast Paced World by Emma Scheib of SimpleSlowLovely.com Most of us if we are honest are sick and tired of being so busy

[00:00:37] We are desperate for a slower pace in what seems to be an ever-increasing fast-paced world But what exactly does it take to slow down to go against the grain and rebel against busy? What actionable steps can you take to find slow in this fast-paced world?

[00:00:53] Here are my seven go-tos for living a slower paced life and regaining your sanity 1. Say No, A Lot If you feel like you are constantly on the go then it's likely you are saying yes to too many things

[00:01:08] Can I offer a gentle reminder? It's okay to say no Don't worry, it's a completely normal human trait to want to socially oblige to others No can feel and sound harsh and confrontational And make us feel as though we are risking the relationship we have with others

[00:01:24] But burnout will be inevitable if you say yes every time Start practicing with small nose like no to the cable salesperson No to that party you don't want to go to and build up to the big nose 2. Start Breathing Again

[00:01:40] When was the last time you checked your breathing? Stop now Pause Notice the quality of your breath. Is it deep or shallow? Long or short? How does it make you feel? Slow breathing in particular has been found to correlate with emotional well-being and emotional

[00:01:57] control. I don't know about you, but when my kiddo is throwing a tantrum we could both use an extra dose of emotional control. 3. Care Less About What People Think It's hard. We want others to like us. Again, a completely normal human need.

[00:02:14] We are wired for connection with others and we know that when we like someone it means more connection. But if we care too much what others think of us, we risk diluting who we really are

[00:02:24] in favor of who we think others want us to be. And in the striving to be liked and connected, it's possible we'll just wind up being over committed, stressed, and complaining about how busy we are. 4. Create Something With Your Hands

[00:02:40] Creating things, particularly creative endeavors that require our hands, is an excellent technique for slowing down. When you create something from scratch, knit a scarf, bake a cake, plant a garden, you need to pay careful attention. You need to come

[00:02:54] out of autopilot mode and go slower than usual. Creating anything can be an amazing mindfulness technique that can slow your heart rate and decrease stress and anxiety. 5. Join The Slow Movement The law of averages and motivational speaker Jim

[00:03:11] Rohn tells us we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. For example, if you want to have a more positive approach to life, you'll want to surround yourself with people who are already naturally optimistic.

[00:03:23] The same applies to slow living. If you want to live a slower pace, make sure you have at least a few people in your life that are living at the pace you desire. They'll serve as an inspiration and act as a rudder, helping you point

[00:03:36] your ship in the right direction. 6. Unplug Get off social media, get off your phone, in fact, get off anything electronic for at least a couple of hours a day or 24 hours a week. There's no doubting that our increased connection to

[00:03:52] the wider world and the notion that everything is switched on 24-7 has made us busier. Try a hiking date with someone instead of talking on Instagram. Spend a few hours slow cooking in the kitchen instead of using your microwave or local takeaway shop.

[00:04:07] Read a newspaper over coffee instead of scrolling online. 7. Quit Your Job Do you work more than 60 hours a week? In my country, New Zealand, one in five people who work more than one job are working more than 60 hours a week.

[00:04:23] And while the average across industries is often seemingly acceptable 43 hours for New Zealand in 2015, there are some jobs like truck driving that demand dangerously high hours from their employees. I initially wanted to follow that subtitle up with a comment about how just

[00:04:38] quitting was a bit extreme but perhaps that's what you need. If your busyness is making you sick like it did to me then you probably need to at least consider cutting back if not

[00:04:49] quitting. Quitting my dream job three years ago to seek a slower, simpler life was the best thing I ever did. You just listened to the post titled 7 Ways to Slow Down in a Fast Paced World

[00:05:05] by Emma Scheib of SimpleSlowLovely.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. Take it, Emma. I feel like I've personally done all of these and can back them up. I think they work. And some are more extreme than others quitting your job for example but

[00:05:21] like her for me it was the best thing I ever did. Now that might not be the case for you especially if a backup plan isn't there or you're looking to quit in order to start a business from

[00:05:31] scratch that you don't have any experience in. I wouldn't exactly recommend that path but like she said you could try a smaller step like cutting down hours if that's possible. So something to consider today, have a great rest of your day and I'll see you tomorrow

[00:05:45] where your optimal life awaits.